Get All Access for $5/mo

Unlu Raises INR 9Cr In Seed Fund Round Led By Nexus Venture Partners The funds raised will be used to support product development and market expansion

By Prabhjeet Bhatla

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Unlu

New Delhi-based celebrity engagement platform Unlu on Monday announced that they have raised INR 9 crore in a Seed funding round led by venture capital firm Nexus Venture Partners with participation from Mumbai Angels, TiE, and Expert Dojo.

The company plans to utilize the funding to build a technological base, support product development, and fuel market expansion.

"We founded Unlu with a single-minded focus to understand and exceed the expectations and needs of celebrities and fans and are excited to see the results and path forward. We understand the needs of celebrities who have tight schedules but want increased engagement with fans and need a platform to share knowledge about the craft they have perfected. We aim to become the de-facto platform for celebrities. We are thrilled to join hands with Nexus, the topmost VC firm of India," shared Vipul Agrawal, co-founder, Unlu.

Founded in 2020 by Vipul Agrawal, Himanshu Periwal, Akshay Pruthi, and Anurag Dalia, the startup has over 1 million users so far and focuses on celebrity engagements for consumers and brands with over 2000 celebrities on its platform.

"We are excited to partner with Unlu in their vision of using technology-led innovations for significantly improving celebrity – fan engagements," stated Anup Gupta, managing director, Nexus Venture Partners.

The platform offers multiple formats, the company has recently launched Unluclass - an edu-tainment platform that will announce one celebrity every week.

Presently live with Johnny Lever, Ruskin Bond, Manoj Bajpayee, and Shashank Khaitan, consumers can look forward to Unluclass offering celebrities who have expertise in various fields like sports, music, acting, fashion, comedy, writing, lifestyle, photography, among others.

"Our vision is to use technology to significantly enhance the experience of celebrities with consumers and brands in a win-win manner for all stakeholders. Our product allows users to engage with the likes of Manoj Bajpayee, Guru Randhawa, Saina Nehwal, and over 2,000 celebrities in various formats," added Himanshu Periwal, co-founder, Unlu.

The company also had very strong growth on the B2B engagements with celebrities like Shaan, Salim-Sulaiman, Harbhajan Singh, engage with brands such as Flipkart, MPL, and Dr.Vaidya.

The VC firm has been a pioneer in investing in market-leading technology-led businesses for India. Some of its portfolio companies include Unacademy, Delhivery, Snapdeal, Turtlemint, Whitehat Jr, Zolo, Rapido, Paysense, Pratilipi, among others.

The startup plans to innovate with product and engagement formats and onboard more than 5000 celebrities by the end of 2021.

Prabhjeet Bhatla

Former Staff

News and Trends

Ted Sarandos, Netflix Co-CEO, says, 'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is our biggest drama series to date in India'

As the SanjayLeela Bhansali-created web series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar made a huge contribution to the second quarter 2024 earnings of Netflix, the company highlighted the show that celebrates a true-blue Indian story

Business News

Want to Start a Business? Skip the MBA, Says Bestselling Author

Entrepreneur Josh Kaufman says that the average person with an idea can go from working a job to earning $10,000 a month running their own business — no MBA required.

Leadership

Your Definition of Leadership Is Outdated — Here's How to Be a Better Leader in the Modern Workplace

In my nearly thirty years as a leader, I've focused on setting a clear vision and empowering my team to achieve our goals. We prioritize establishing shared objectives while allowing for flexibility when needed.

Starting a Business

They Showed Up to Apple With a Product They Built in Their Dorm Room. Now These Entrepreneurs Are on the Way to Changing the Way Fans Watch Sports.

How Rahat Kulshreshtha and Gaurav Mehta launched Quidich Innovation Labs, technology that is literally changing the game of sports viewership.

News and Trends

Cyber Attacks on Indian Organizations Surge 46% In Q2 2024: Report

Indian organizations must build robust cybersecurity mechanisms to protect their infrastructure. Failure to do so can lead to the loss of large data sets, significant capital, and sensitive credentials, including banking, healthcare, and military data

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.